Touch yourself: 9 things you need to know about masturbation

May marks International Masturbation Month, an entire month dedicated to celebrating the act of masturbation. Aiming to encourage a conversation, this global event aims to bring the ‘touchy feely’ subject into the twenty-first century. Yet despite being two decades on, many people are still not entirely over the embarrassment or shame often surrounding masturbation.

Months such as Masturbation Month work to make progress towards changing attitudes and celebrate something that is normal.

Here are 9 essential things you need to know about the art of pleasuring yourself sexually.

Masturbation Allows You to Get to Know Your Body and Needs

Masturbation is an exploration of the body and a way of deriving pleasure. By sexually stimulating our genitals for sexual pleasure, we can bring ourselves to orgasm.

What better way than to discover the beauty of your human body? How better to learn to love your skin? What greater way to develop a sense of confidence in your body and indeed pleasure yourself?

We don’t always feel proud, confident or at one with our bodies. This is where masturbation can help remove those negative thoughts and feelings.

It does this while encouraging you to understand and love your body simultaneously.

There’s No Such Thing as Normal, Standard or Average Masturbating

The timing and techniques used in masturbating are purely personal experiences and what works for one, will probably not work for another. It’s difficult to understand what is normal when it comes to the subject of masturbating due to the stigma associated with the act.

As a result, many people find it difficult to talk openly about their own masturbating habits.

In truth we tend to start masturbating as teenagers, continuing well into our late forties, fifties and beyond.

While some people opt to masturbate on the odd occasion, for others it may be a daily occurrence. The reality is that pleasuring oneself differs from person to person.

Masturbation Has Always Had a Stigma

Masturbating is a topic hardly discussed in the mainstream media. It’s also more likely to be pushed aside when teaching the younger generation about sexual matters. But self-pleasure is a perfectly ordinary act.

Additionally, it’s one of the best ways to learn more about not just your body but your sexual needs too.

Unfortunately, the subject of touching yourself is still not openly discussed, therefore many of us feel ashamed and keep our experiences secret. Fortunately, things are starting to change.

There is a movement towards people opening up about their masturbating habits. Whether over social media or in general everyday conservation, it’s finally being addressed.

What’s more, younger adults are finally beginning to see that it can be a fun experience.

Masturbation Offers Many Health Benefits

Not everyone is aware of the many benefits that can be accessed through masturbating. These include:

A tremendous sexual outlet – As it allows you the chance to orgasm, which not all men and women find they can easily do during sexual intercourse

A reduction in feelings of frustration – It allows you to destress after a particularly hard day. You can get rid of some of that excess sexual energy, especially if you don’t currently have a sexual partner

Less depressive thoughts – Masturbation can pull you out of some depressing times. It works on providing you with an excellent all-around feeling about yourself

An increased surge of body confidence – As you take more time to get in touch with your body, you’re more likely to become accepting of it as a result

A sense of relaxation – If you regularly feel that glow after reaching a successful orgasm, you’ll understand how relaxing this is

A better night’s sleep – Many people report having a better night’s sleep after they’ve masturbated. This is due to relieving all the day’s tensions

A pain-relieving element – Masturbating is said to have an ability to cut and alleviate pain, including menstrual problems. This includes problematic cramping experienced by many women

A good feeling – Masturbation can simply make you feel good every time you perform it

Masturbation Old Wives’ Tales

Any adverse side effects of masturbation are only possible if masturbation becomes extraordinarily excessive and ends up taking over your life.

To clear up a few old wives’ tales about masturbation, it’s worth pointing out that:

Masturbation does not make you go blind;

It doesn’t prevent you from enjoying real sex;

It will not damage your body;

It won’t cause problems with ejaculation;

Masturbating doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you;

It’s not shameful, guilty, dirty or weird;

It will not conspire to turn you into a sex addict;

It (almost certainly) won’t send you to Hell.

Once again, such beliefs are closely linked to its stigma. However, there’s no problem if you ensure that masturbating remains healthy, fun, and doesn’t begin to take over other aspects of your life.

Neither will it become problematic if you aren’t relying on it solely as a replacement for any real fulfilling relationships.

Furthermore, it’s perfectly acceptable as long as you aren’t finding yourself getting into trouble or craving to masturbate in places you really shouldn’t be.

If you can continue to masturbate with a level of respect to your body and needs, and you feel you’re in control of it, then it’s not harming yourself or anyone else. Consequently, it’s your business and nobody else’s to pass judgement on.

Masturbation Techniques Are Exciting and Should Be Explored Further by Both Men and Women

Female masturbation and male masturbation are equally as important as one other. This means that learning how to masturbate is hugely beneficial for both men and women alike.

Those who masturbate can actually increase their chances of achieving orgasm when having sex with a partner. This is because individual masturbation gives you time to explore.

It allows you to discover those places and techniques in a more relaxed state. You can then work on improving or avoiding those which don’t. By working on increasing your sexual confidence, you’re more than likely to know what goes for you.

Masturbating is usually one of those activities we start doing out of curiosity. We tend to do this without much prior knowledge beforehand. For women masturbating, it begins with clitoral stimulation, and for men masturbating, it starts with penis stroking.

The first time should be the perfect opportunity to discover what gentle touching and stimulation does to your body. This should all be done without feeling any sense of guilt, shame or embarrassment.

Men can use different strokes and movements, changing hands, moving hips, and exploring other erogenous zones. They too can also target their G-spot, which is the prostate area.

Once you’ve become confident with these techniques, you may want to explore further avenues.

These can include researching in books, films, other positions, and places. If you’re looking for additional guidance on how to masturbate, the internet is your best friend.

Masturbation Can Be a Brilliant Foreplay Activity for Couples – Through Mutual Masturbation

Though we tend to think of masturbation as a solitary activity, it can also double up as the ideal sexual experience between couples.

Perfect as foreplay or pleasuring each other, mutual masturbation is intimate physical contact. It’s also a great way to explore how you can best please your partner.

Furthermore, it can cut through many boundaries and give you confidence during sex together as a couple.

Yet, it can also improve your sex life tenfold. By communicating your needs through masturbation, you encourage your other half and yourself to say what you want and what pleases you.

Too often couples feel limited and restricted in the bedroom and find it hard to fully communicate their wants and needs.

Mutual masturbation can help work through this and encourage a more fulfilling sexual relationship as a result.

Using Toys for Masturbation Is an Enjoyable Way to Improve Your Masturbation Techniques

Not only are sex toys a heap of fun, but the results they derive provide the best opportunity to orgasm.

Best of all, they take your masturbating experience to a whole new level in the process.

No longer do we have to really on those blacked-out doors and windows of sex shops stood on crummy corners.

Nor await those blatantly obvious vibrator shaped packages handed to us by a red-faced postal worker. Nor are we restricted these days to just the one main high street sex toy store as our only means of accessing quality toys.

Nowadays, with just the click of a mouse, we can discover and buy hundreds of fantastic sex toys. Many of them are designed to solely increase the pleasure of masturbation for both men and women alike.

From many variations on rabbit vibrators to new-found favourites such as love eggs and jiggle balls.

If you’re looking to enhance your masturbating, then there’s plenty to choose from online and all at great low prices.

Masturbation and Porn Aren’t Exclusively Mutual

Another often damaging initial concept about masturbation is that it has close links with porn. Yes, statistics suggest that many people, in particular men, tend to masturbate more when watching porn. So too are an increasing number of women these days.

However, masturbation has never been solely about accessing porn.

Whether you prefer to watch it or not, both men and women in the twenty-first century are more open-minded about porn than ever before. Yet there’s nothing wrong with feeling the need to masturbate after watching it.

It’s merely one of the most natural of responses. In particular, if you’re not watching with a partner, then you may feel masturbating is a great release after this. Equally, some may feel it the only time they can masturbate through watching others perform sexually.

Some couples may also choose to perform mutual masturbation after viewing porn.

However, many other people don’t find that they need to access porn at any point in time to masturbate. For them, imagination is usually enough. This too is also perfectly fine.

For those that try to link porn and masturbating as one concept, that all too often stigma is more than likely behind their deducing. The two can exist side by side, but equally, they can be mutually exclusive. It is all dependent on the individual.

Self Love

Pleasuring yourself should be a joyful personal experience which makes you feel better during and after. It should offer confidence and empowerment – a way to explore the body without fear of shame or guilt.

Whether you choose to do it with a partner, without a partner, with sexual aids or without, there are many benefits that are hugely positive and easily achieved through regularly self-pleasure.